Last year Tanja Gellenthien took an incredible third women's championship compound title here in Vegas – her second in a row after winning in 2017 and 2023. Can she make it a three-peat? Vanessa Lee caught up with an archer who has had to juggle a whole new set of priorities.
For a lot of reasons, Gellenthien will remember 2024. "I mean, we started the year out here in Vegas last year, February. I won that, and just before that, I won Lancaster. So it was a really good indoor season. It started out really well and I was pregnant and I just got more and more pregnant throughout the summer. That's how that works [laughs]."
"Shooting was a little bit harder, you know, so I didn't have the best outdoor season because I couldn't practice as much as I necessarily wanted to."
Tanja is married to the now-retired legend of the sport Braden Gellenthien, and the couple welcomed a son at the end of the summer. “I’m happy that Vegas wasn't until March because I'm not sure I would have been ready for it. It's definitely hard. I used to practice a lot. It used to be my number one focus, and I was like, okay, I want to shoot this many arrows today, and I always got it done. And now, there's this little person who needs me. And I can't just say, "You know, I'll be with you in two hours." You have to be like, "Okay, you're hungry now? Alright."
"So, it's hard and challenging, and sometimes practice takes three times longer – but it's okay".
So… can you do it three times in a row? “That would be crazy. I mean, of course it's always the plan and I've been practicing as hard as I can with my son. I'm gonna try and I'm gonna do my best and we'll see where I end up. I think we've got some really strong contenders in the women's championship. You know, Paige Pearce is always right there with the 900 shooters. Me and Paige have been out there together for so many years now and we just have each other's back."
"I also think Ella Gibson is a really good guess. She shot a 900 at Kings of Archery, you know, so I just, it's just a matter of time before she takes the win. But then, I mean, I don't want to be too confident, but I want to put myself in there too!”
“Vegas is just different because of the size, the community, the people and just how they make it seem so… big. A lot of time you take that with you when you shoot. It's also a game of not missing. You know, for World Archery [competition] if you shoot a nine, it's not the end of the world. Here it is. So you're way more focused. And I feel like a lot of time it's hard to turn that off. Even after you shot your arrows for the day, you're still, OK, well, I still have to do it again tomorrow."
So how do you cope with that? “I think the only thing you can really do is stay focused when you practice, too, because your practice shot is what you're going to take in there. Try to make your practice more intense if you can.”
Could you ever see yourself shooting in the open category? “I’ve thought about it before but I’d much rather grow the women's, you know. Let's have 20 women that shoot 900.” What's more nerve-wracking - the first arrow or the last? “We’d all rather miss the first arrow than the last arrow. If you miss the first one, you can relax for the next 89 arrows but if you shot 89 perfect shots and you miss that last one that's not fun! So definitely the last couple ends are the most nerve-wracking – also because all the cameras are gonna be there!" "But everybody's got each other's back. It makes it easier because of the girls out there… It's like a community of people. Being here amongst all these people that are
like family and have been over the years. Vegas has so many emotions for me – and they’re all happy emotions."
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